


Back To You

by Fearless_Straightfire



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Estrangement, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fake legal lingo, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Inaccuracies, Minor Original Character(s), Reunions, Strained Friendships, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:00:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28358166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearless_Straightfire/pseuds/Fearless_Straightfire
Summary: Following the death of Oliver Queen, former best friends Dinah Drake and Laurel Lance are reunited under strained circumstances.
Relationships: Dinah Drake/Earth-2 Laurel Lance, Dinah Drake/Laurel Lance, Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen (Past)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 19





	1. The reunion of the decade

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there!
> 
> I love reading the Dinahsiren fics on here and I thought why don’t I write one but with a few twists!
> 
> Hopefully you enjoy this and if you don’t then please leave your criticisms down below as they’ll help me grow as a writer!

_ Dinah Drake and Laurel Lance had been best friends since they were old enough to walk. So it came as a surprise one day when both girls were around the age of fourteen when their friendship came to a holt... _

_No one truly knew why the almost thirteen year bond between the two girls broke and none of the parties involved were willing to divulge any information. By the time high school ended, Laurel had become friends with Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn, and headed off to college with them while Dinah started her police academy training in Central City._

* * *

Fourteen years later... (2012)

By the time the news of Oliver Queen’s tragic death had reached Central City, Dinah was already blocking calls from former classmates who wanted to gossip. Her work was more important than listening to people say “Oh I wonder how Laurel is handling this! Have you spoken to her?”

How was she to know? They’d fallen out of contact and the last Dinah heard about her former best friend was that the blonde had become Star City’s youngest District Attorney and married with a kid on the way. But that information was credible four years ago, since then Laurel Lance had become Laurel Lance-Queen and had given birth to a son, Connor.

“Drake! You’re needed in the Captain’s office pronto!”

Releasing a sigh, Dinah moved from her desk and grabbed her jacket. She shrugged it on as she made her way towards the Captain’s office and knocked on it before entering when she heard a booming voice telling her to enter.

“You wanted to see me Sir?”

Captain Joe West gestured for Dinah to sit down and stared at his Deputy. “I received a phone call about ten minutes ago from the DA-‘

“If this is about the botched interrogation, that was not my fault!” Dinah yelled before wincing when she noticed the annoyed look being sent her way.

“As I was saying, the DA called and asked for you. He has an associate that’s currently in Central City that needs protecting and he wants you to be their security detail.” Joe said as he dropped a stack of paper in front of him. “You’ve been dropped from the investigation.”

Dinah’s jaw hardened as she gave Joe a stiff nod. The second she was given dismissal she stormed out of the office and back down to hers. She slammed every single drawer shut as she packed up her purse and grabbed her car keys.

* * *

Arriving at the address Joe had given to her, Dinah’s jaw dropped at the size of the house, well manor but she wasn’t going to get the semantics right now as she stepped out of her cruiser and walked towards the large iron gate. 

An arrow flew past Dinah’s head which startled the woman, on instinct she went to reach for her gun but yelped when a water balloon hit her left hip. The sound of a child laughing caused her to stare up and frown at a blonde haired little boy, who had a quiver attached to his back.

“Connor Lawrence Queen! What did I tell you about aiming your arrows at people?!”

Dinah stiffened, her gaze went from the little boy and up to a woman who was standing on the front porch with her hands on her hips as she frowned.

“Laurel?”

The woman looked up, her green eyes widening before narrowing as she stared down at her former friend. “Dinah Drake, it’s been a while.” She replied with a pinched smile, before beckoning the woman to come forward. “Connor you need to go and clean yourself up, your grandmother will be picking you up in an hour.

“Dinah, come along I need to get back to Mia. She should be up from her nap and she needs to be fed.”

“Who’s Mia?”

Laurel stopped and turned to glare at Dinah. “If you must know, Mia is mine and Oliver’s five month old daughter. Now let’s go before I end up leaving you behind.”

“It won’t be the first time.” The brunette muttered darkly.

Laurel refrained from making a snarky comment and instead went back into the manor, although she was tempted to slam the door in the infuriating woman’s face.

* * *

Mia was the mirror image of Laurel, well except for the sparkling blue eyes as those were definitely inherited from Oliver. Whereas Connor was a mix of both of his parents, he had Oliver’s face but his eyes and hair colour were from Laurel.

However, Dinah had spotted a few family pictures strewn across the nursery and in most of them was a boy, who looked slightly older than Connor, who could pass as a young Oliver.

“That’s William, he’s two years older than Connor, I only knew about his existence almost three years ago,” Laurel said when she noticed Dinah glancing at the pictures. She sat down in a rocking chair, pulled her top down and placed Mia up near her breast, a small grunt escaped her lips when Mia latched on a bit too rough. To keep some shred of dignity, Laurel covered her and her daughter with a blanket. “William’s mother, Samantha, had died from an incurable sickness, but before she died she reached out to me and well... Confessed to having a one night stand with Oliver which resulted in her getting pregnant.

“She’d tried to reach out to Oliver but he kept denying he was the father, but I knew he was the very second I saw William. Oliver had full custody of him, and now I’m filing for emergency custody, which is why I am in Central City.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because if you’re going to be my security detail, then you’ll at least need to know who may accompany me during my stay in the city. And also if word about William and Mia got out, at least I know who to gun for. Now that we’ve reacquainted ourselves, you may leave.”

Laurel gave Dinah a dismissive wave with her other hand, indicating that she was done with the conversation and done with Dinah’s presence.

* * *

Shadowing Laurel turned out to be a tiring chore. It seemed the blonde loved to play mind games with Dinah and constantly tried to slip away. Most times her attempts were thwarted due to Dinah always having the upper hand.

“If you’re just going to sit there, then you may as well make yourself useful and get me a coffee,” Laurel replied as she flipped through a few important documents regarding her upcoming case. Her eyes flicked up to glare at the woman as she cleared her throat. “Two sugars, no cream.. Now can you leave me alone so I can focus.”

“I’m not your maid, Laurel,” Dinah huffed as she sat down in the chair opposite the now fuming blonde. “Oh don’t give me that look, it never worked on me back in high school.”

Anger flooded Laurel’s veins as she slammed the documents down onto the desk, causing the already messy pile to fly everywhere. Her eyes were blazing with fury, lips twisted in a sneer.

“I thought I made it clear , _**Drake**_ , that we were not going to mention anything about our past,” she seethed whilst unclenching her shaking fists. “If you don’t want to do this assignment I’ll get Captain West to find a replacement. Just give the word and I can have you back on that case he dropped you from.”

As tempting as it sounded for Dinah, she quickly declined the offer. She leaned back in her seat and watched the emotions flicker across Laurel’s face from outrage and fury to surprise and shock.

“Look I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish but if it’s going to cause any distractions, I will throw you out on your ass. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.” Dinah muttered under her breath.

Both women realised this arrangement was going to end up with them either becoming heavy drinkers or committing homicide. Dinah was hoping for the former, while Laurel mused about the latter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did ya think? Is it worth continuing or should I just scrap it and do something entirely different?
> 
> Thank you for taking your time to read this! :)


	2. These memories.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel receives a visit from Sara and ends up going on a trip down memory lane.

No matter how many times Dinah told Laurel she wasn’t there to run errands, the blonde would always roll her eyes and walk off but not before yelling a demand over her shoulder. Most times it ended with the brunette finally complying to Laurel’s demands just so she wouldn’t experience the small twinge of hurt whenever disappointed looks were sent her way.

However, in the short time of being around Laurel and her small family, Dinah managed to pick up on a few mannerisms. One being that Connor was extremely perceptive for a four year old, out of the blue one day he asked Dinah how she knew his parents. It left the brunette reeling for an answer as the boy kept on pressing for one, her saving grace was in the form of Laurel kneeling in front of her son and explaining that they’d all gone to school together when they were about his age.

Another prime example was how Laurel would play ‘Who Put The Bomp’ by Barry Mann and dance around with Mia who was safely tucked in her arms. Seeing the joy gleaming in the blonde’s eyes as she twirled around to the song and sang the chorus made Dinah smile, though she made sure that no one would see her as she already felt guilty for invading a private moment meant for Laurel and her daughter.

* * *

Sara Lance was nothing but a tempestuous storm in Laurel’s adult life, always coming and going whenever she pleased, never staying to settle down. So it came as surprise when the elder Lance sister found her younger sibling sitting on the edge of her bed.

Sparkling deep blue eyes stared into wide gleaming green as Sara patted the space next to her before smiling when Laurel sat down next to her.

“You didn’t have to break cover and come back Sara, I know how important that international case meant to you,” Laurel said as she leaned her head against her sister's shoulder and sighed. “Did Dad put you up to this?”

“No, though he did leave a message mentioning Ollie’s death, it was Ava.”

“Ava? Do you mean Director Sharpe? The same director you’ve been butting heads with?” There was a brief pause of silence as Laurel stared at her sister, an incredulous look clear on her face. “Since when have you two been on a first name basis?”

“About that, well, Ava and I have been seeing each other for the last nine months. Hey now don't give me that look! We weren't ready to tell anyone.”

“And I won’t tell anyone, I can promise you that. And why are you looking at me as if I sprouted two heads?”

“You’re not disappointed?”

Laurel’s brows furrowed as she stared at Sara, who had a pained look on her face. She reached out and gently rubbed the side of her sister's face. “Why would I be disappointed with you, Sara?”

“Because I like men and... Women.”

Sara had expected Laurel to recoil in repulsion and demand her to leave and never come back, but instead, all she received was a comforting hug and a kiss pressed against her forehead.

“Don’t ever think that I'll turn you away because of who you love. I'll never turn my baby sister away because then it'll be hypocritical of me.”

“What do you mean, Laurel?”

“I’m bisexual too, Sara. Only two other people know about it, one being Ollie.”

“Who’s the other person, Laur?”

“I suppose its time someone knew the full story, about why Dinah and I are no longer friends.”

* * *

_ (1998) _

_ Valentine's Day was a huge affair in Star City, a lot of Cafes were booked out due to loved up couples wanting to celebrate the day. Almost every high school within the district participated by holding little events that could boost school morale. _

_ And that's how fourteen year old Laurel Lance found herself sitting on a bench at the local park waiting for her best friend, Dinah, to arrive. In her hands was a box of chocolates and flowers, and although she looked calm and collected on the outside, her heartbeat was racing. For the last few months, she’d been battling an inner struggle, a struggle that could either make or break her friendship. _

_ “Laurel!” _

_ The girl glanced up to see Dinah sprinting towards her but her heart plummeted when she saw Vinny right behind her friend. _

_ “Oh hey, D.” Laurel grunted when Dinah practically slammed into the side of her body. She allowed herself to relax when a pair of arms went around her middle and held on tight. “Happy Valentines Day! I, uh, didn't know Vinny would be joining us today.” _

_ “Happy Valentines Day, Laur,” Dinah replied before releasing her hold on the other girl. “Vinny and I just finished watching The Wedding Singer and I knew you'd be here so we came straight from the cinema.” _

_ “Oh really?” _

_ “Yeah, the movie was alright but I don't think that genre is for me,” Dinah said, completely oblivious to the hurt flashing in Laurel’s eyes. “Hey babe, do you mind if I go over to your house later? I wanna hang out with Laurel for a bit.” _

_ Vinny nodded and smiled at Dinah. “That's alright. I'll see you later babe, bye Laurel.” _

_ After both girls said their goodbyes to Vinny, they turned their attention back to each other. That's when Dinah noticed the crumpled chocolate and flowers sitting in Laurel’s lap. _

_ “Oh, Laur, I'm sorry! I didn't realise you had gifts! I'll buy you some replacements.” _

_ “D it's not-’ _

_ “I mean those flowers are beautiful and probably expensive, so could they be from Oliver-’ _

_ “Dinah Drake, for fucks sake let me speak!” _

_ Dinah’s mouth dropped opened slightly, she'd never heard Laurel curse or use her entire name. _

_ “Good. Now I need to tell you something, I've been wanting to say this for two months.” All of Laurel’s courage seemed to disappear the moment she started into her friend's startling green eyes. “God it was so simple and clear in my head... I.” Acting on impulse, Laurel cupped Dinah’s face with both hands and leaned in to press a soft but tentative kiss against Dinah’s mouth before closing her eyes. _

_ What Laurel had dreamt of and expected were two different things. She often dreamt of Dinah leaning into her and reciprocating the kiss but instead she received a harsh, stinging slap across the face and being shoved off the bench. Her eyes flew open as she glanced up to see Dinah towering over her with a thunderous look on her face. _

_  
_ _ “What the hell, Laurel?! You just can’t do that!” The brunette screeched. “You can’t just kiss me! God! I don’t even like girls, so what makes you think I would want to be with you!” _

_ Tears welled up in the blonde’s eyes as she flinched whenever Dinah would hurl an insult at her. She wrapped her arms around her waist, looked down at the grass and started to sob. _

_ Hearing Laurel sobbing broke Dinah from her angry stupor. “Laur, I’m-‘ she couldn’t say anything else due to Laurel slapping her hands away. She watched with a heavy heart as her best friend got up and ran off while still crying. _

_ After that Laurel refused to speak to Dinah, she even went to great lengths to be transferred into another class. She’d adopted a cooler demeanour and surrounded herself with different people. There were a few moments where Laurel’s facade would crumble and she’d be in tears, mourning the loss of a beloved friend but then Dinah’s words would echo in her mind and gone were the tears. _

_ She ignored the pained looks Dinah would send to her if whenever they walked past each other in the hallways. There was nothing Dinah could do or say that would make Laurel forgive her. _

* * *

“So that’s why you and Dinah stopped being friends? I always thought it was because you liked Vinny too.” Laurel’s nauseated look indicated that was not the case and all Sara could do was just hug her tightly. “Now enough of being glum, you need to focus on getting my nephew back to his rightful family.”

“About that... I’m friends with the DA here in Central City and he’s given me a security detail.”

“That’s not bad, Laur-‘

“It’s Dinah! She’s my security detail,”Laurel exclaimed before wincing when she saw a murderous gleam flash in Sara’s eyes. “I gave her a chance to bail out of the deal, but she refused it. I’ve also made it clear that I don’t want to speak about our past and that our relationship is nothing but professional.

“But god, Sara, every time I see her it just brings up that old hurt and it doesn’t help that she keeps calling me Laur. I think I may have to give Captain West a call and ask for a different officer.”

“Don’t Laur, that means you’ll let her win. I’ll be with you if you have to interact with her, just think of me as a buffer, okay?”

Laurel smiled slightly as she pulled Sara into a bone crushing hug. “That sounds like a great idea, you’re the best.”

What the Lance sisters didn’t realise was that the door to Laurel’s room was ajar and Dinah had been listening in on their conversation. Guilt settled in the brunette’s stomach as she slowly crept away from the room, hearing the retelling of what caused the two to break apart only made the burning feeling of regret intensify.

She’d broken a friendship for a passing fancy, and every second of every day she lived with the consequences, of bittersweet memories that were slowly fading away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must say that this chapter is really OOCish...
> 
> Thanks to those who commented on my first chapter and gave me kudos! You all are the best..
> 
> As for now I’m going to probably sort out a timeline to indicate events that have happened between 1998-2012, as they may be referenced throughout the story.
> 
> Again, thanks the comments and kudos ☺️☺️


	3. I’ll Bleed Out For You.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much for the awesome replies! And Happy New Year!
> 
> I’ve done some restructuring to this chapter and kept going over it for the past two weeks. Hope you enjoy it. 🙂

With the coroner ruling Oliver’s death as an accidental drowning, Laurel was finally able to start the arrangements for her husband’s funeral. The thought of being widowed at the age of twenty-eight didn’t seem to faze her at all, perhaps it was due to her being strong for their children. Or perhaps it was because of them temporarily separating so Oliver could seek some counselling after Laurel caught him cheating on her again. But either way, her focus was on making sure their children were alright.

Moira and Thea had shifted from the large apartment in downtown Central City to the manor once Laurel notified them of her plans. With them around it helped ease some tension that’d been forming between Dinah and Laurel, the two women were still having difficulties seeing eye to eye with one another and Sara’s distractions could only go so far.

Which was why Sara had invited Dinah to go sparring with her, it would’ve been a few drinks but Sara didn’t want the responsibility of having to keep an eye on a drunk Dinah. She’d even ran the suggestion past Laurel, who just shrugged her shoulders and went back to reading.

* * *

“Now tell me why you dragged me out to the middle of nowhere to spar,” Dinah replied as she followed Sara into a training area. Her eyes scanned the large room, searching for anything that may cause potential harm towards her.

“You and my sister have been at each other’s throats as of lately,” Sara answered while unlocking a cupboard and pulling out two bo staffs. She threw one straight at Dinah and watched as it smacked the brunette squarely in the face. “Lesson number one, don’t ever let your guard down. Lesson number two, always keep your eyes on the target.”

“Is there any other lessons I should know about?”

“Yeah, there is,” Sara said as she slowly circled Dinah, concentrating on when to strike her target. “My sister needs to be on her a-game if she’s going to go for custody for William. She needs to be focused and you’re making it difficult by constantly pressing Laurel’s buttons.

“I know what happened fourteen years ago, and it’s not Laurel’s fault for acting on how she felt, but she’s moved on. She needs to be there for the kids” There was a moment of silence as Sara used her staff to sweep Dinah off of her feet. “Also, I made a promise with myself fourteen years ago that if I found out who slapped my sister, I would make them pay.”

Dinah rolled backwards and held her staff up as Sara’s staff came crashing down. A metallic clang echoed in her ears as she got to her feet and tried to fight back, but no matter what she did, the blonde would always counter the attacks.

After what felt like a few hours, but was only thirty minutes, Dinah all but collapsed to the ground. She was panting heavily and no doubt there would be bruises upon bruises come tomorrow morning.

“How do you feel?” Sara chuckled as Dinah gave her a pointed look. “Broken? Sore? Possibly wanting to crawl under a rock and die?” She hummed as the brunette nodded wearily. “That’s exactly how my sister felt after you crushed her feelings. But enough about that, how are you holding up with this unexpected reunion with Laurel?”

“Not good,” Dinah confessed as she glanced down at her lap and sighed. “I royally fucked things up and it seems I’m still doing it if Laurel’s stress levels are rising whenever she sees me... I know you said she’s moved on, but I just want to explain to her why I reacted like that, I just want some closure.”

“Why did you hurt her?”

“My Dad’s wife at the time was extremely homophobic, she hated how close Laurel and I were. She started telling Dad that I had a crush on Laurel, and sadly Dad took her side.” Dinah paused briefly and pulled the left side of her tank top up to show a few scars scattered across her ribs. “Instead of asking, I got beaten. My own father, the man who helped conceive me, who’s mind was poisoned by a few spiteful words, believed the horrible bitch... When Laurel kissed me, I was scared. Scared of what could happen to me or even Laurel, so I took the low road and took all my pent up anger out on her because she was an easy target.”

Shame weighed down on Dinah as a single tear slipped down her face. “I can still hear Laurel sobbing her heart out, trying to explain but I cut her down to make myself feel better. She became distant after that, not that I would blame her! I mean I broke her heart and destroyed any confidence she had in me by being a coward.” She whispered before bursting into tears.

“Hey, hey now,” Sara cooed softly as she shuffled towards the brunette and wrapped her in a tight but protective embrace. “You were the victim of two manipulative and abusive people.”

“Why aren’t you yelling at me? Screaming or even trying to kill me?”

“Because now I know both sides of the story, both of you were victims. Now if only there was a way for me to go back in time, I would go back to kick your fathers ass,” Sara mumbled while wiping Dinah’s tears away. “No woman should ever suffer at the hands of men. Now c’mon, let’s get back to Central City so you and I can go out and get a drink.”

Before Dinah could agree to the offer her phone started buzzing. Sighing, she pulled it out of her pocket and frowned when Laurel’s name flashed across the screen. Instead of answering the call, she just turned it off and placed it back into her pocket. 

She’d take the chance of her ears bleeding over having to haul her ass all the way back to the city.

* * *

Blood soaked glass littered the foyer going into the Queen’s apartment, sparkling like rubies whenever the light would catch it.

The sound of Mia’s wailing could be heard as Laurel pressed her hand against the wound on her side. She’d tried calling Dinah but after finding out the woman had turned her phone off, she gritted her teeth and pressed the next speed dial.

“This better be important Laurel.”

“Now why would you think this is a social call, Nyssa?” Laurel grunted as she tried to shift herself into a comfortable position. “Look I know you live in Central City now, I-I need your help.”

“You’re injured. Who attacked you?”

“I don’t know, I never got a good look at them before they fled. Could you please come over? My security detail is being useless by not answering her damn calls and I don’t want to interrupt Sara.”

A soft sigh could be heard over the phone before the jingling sound of keys. “I’ll have one of my forensic teams come over and don’t worry about location, I am tracking you.”

Somehow Laurel should’ve felt worried about the lack of security but instead she placed all her focus into trying not to bleed out, hoping she would survive and be able to rip Dinah a new one.

And just as Laurel was ready to become reacquainted with her former friend, Dinah had let her down once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to keep Oliver cheating on Laurel tied to this story, y’know something canon to both the TV series and some of the comics.
> 
> The title of the chapter is an inspirations from Bleeding Out by The Imagine Dragons as it perfectly captures the mindsets of both of our canaries.
> 
> Once more, thanks to all who have left comments and kudos! I appreciate them all and will get to replying to them soon.
> 
> Stay safe!
> 
> ~F.S 🙂


	4. Boiling Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank to those who continue to comment! I appreciate your support and kind words 😀.
> 
> I know I said I would do a timeline to pinpoint major and minor events prior to this story... I will either scrap that or post it at some point.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!!

* * *

_By the time Nyssa reached Laurel, the blonde was teetering on the edge of consciousness as her hold on the wound started to slip and blood slowly poured out between her fingers._

_ Muttering a soft curse underneath her breath, Nyssa got down onto her knees and grabbed Laurel’s face with both of her hands. She rubbed away the light sheen of sweat that coated the blonde’s forehead, smoothing tufts of blonde hair, before staring straight into hazy green eyes. _

_ “Stay with me, Laurel. You need to stay for your daughter who needs her mother.” _

_ Nyssa cursed once more when Laurel went limp in her arms. _

* * *

After hearing Laurel had an emergency blood transfusion due to the severe blood loss and was being prepped for surgery so they could see if there was potential damage to any of her organs, Dinah knew her job was on the line.

The moment came when Dinah and Sara received news they almost lost Laurel twice on the operating table. Sara’s shrieks of anguish quietened down once she was in the arms of her father, who’d flown from Star City to Central City when he heard about Laurel being in hospital.

A rough _**Drake**_ pulled Dinah from out of her stupor as she glanced up and flinched at the cold look Joe was giving her, he tilted his head towards the empty on-call room, indicating the talk the brunette was dreading to hear.

“I should be firing you for insubordination, but Quentin Lance has asked for you to stay on. He’s even suggested for you to move into the guest wing at the Queen’s manor,” Joe said once the doors to the on-call room clicked shut.“I have someone already sending a bag of luggage to the manor, so I suggest you stay here and protect Ms. Lance-Queen.”

“Wouldn’t it just be better if Laurel had a new security detail? I mean it’s a conflict of interest due to our past-‘

“You’re familiar to her, Dinah.”

Sara had been listening in on the conversation and couldn’t help but interrupt. There was no way she was going to allow anyone besides Dinah watch over her sister.

“Miss Lance this is a private-‘

“It’s Captain Lance, and I am entitled to sit in on this conversation since it involves the safety of my sister,” Sara said as she leaned back against the wall. “Laurel is very weary when it comes to people being around her children. It would only cause confusion and chaos if someone else were to take over your post... Now I must go back to see if my sister has come out of surgery.”

* * *

The surgery had been successful and Laurel had little to no significant internal injuries, although the specialists kept her under a heavy sedative to allow her body the chance to rest and heal.

Quentin and Sara argued about who was going to stay with Dinah and Laurel, but in the end they found common ground. Quentin would stay at the hospital during the day, while Sara stayed overnight.

It was during the third night when Laurel finally woke up. Her eyes felt like lead as she blinked away the sleep and slowly sat up. She noticed Dinah slumped over in an armchair that was off to her left, while Sara was nestled in a chair on her right. They both looked exhausted, the tell tale signs of dark circles underneath their eyes were enough evidence.

“Dinah? Sara?”

Both women were awake within seconds and out of their chairs within another few. Sara gave her sister a smile before running off to find the nurses while Dinah looked over the blonde’s face, noting the dark, inky bruises that were blossoming over one of Laurel’s sharp cheekbones. Without realising she’d run her thumb underneath the bruising and tucked a few strands of hair behind Laurel’s ear.

“I’m still going to rip you a new one.” Laurel croaked, she went to grab the glass of water that was on the table beside her, but Dinah managed to grab it first and held it for her. After taking a few sips of the water, Laurel released the straw with a sigh and leaned back against the pillows.

Before Dinah could utter out a reply, the doors to Laurel’s hospital room flew open as a small team of doctors and nurses hurried over to the bed and started to poke and prod the blonde. Who ended up screaming in frustration after the six minute mark and ordered everyone except her sister and Dinah out of the room.

“You shouldn’t have behaved like that, Laur, they were only trying to make sure you were alright.” 

“I’m sore, tired and just want to see my children, the last thing I need is for someone to poke at my ribs,” Laurel said with a raised voice, hoping that the doctors who were hovering outside her room got the memo. “Now can someone please get me some strong dose painkillers and discharge papers so I can be on my merry way.”

“Sorry sis but you’re stuck in here for at least another few days. I’ve already called your office and told them what’s happened.. Joanna’s agreed to fly out from Star City to Central City to step in while you recover.”

At the mentioning of her best friend, Laurel perked up immediately. Out of all the people she knew or worked with, Joanna de la Vega was the only person she could trust with her case.

“Who’s Joanna?”

Both Lance sisters looked at each other, they were unsure on how to brace this topic with Dinah.

“She’s my co-worker and best friend,” Laurel replied softly, trying not to notice the hurt glimmering in Dinah’s green eyes. “She the only one who I trust when it comes to this case.”

Uneasiness settled in the bottom of Dinah’s stomach as she clenched her fists to stop them from shaking. “I can’t wait to meet her,” she said in a flat tone, unable to look the older blonde in the eye. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to duck out for a few minutes.”

* * *

Laurel was discharged from the hospital two days after she woke up, although she’d been given strict orders to take it easy and not to put any strain on her left side.So by the time she returned to the manor, both Dinah and Joanna were settled into their respective rooms.

Whenever she wasn’t busy with Mia or Connor, Laurel would find herself lounging in her study and chatting away with Joanna. She knew by the irritated looks and disgusted huffs that Dinah wasn’t too pleased about the change in their arrangements.

Things came to a head when Joanna had asked Dinah about her past with Laurel. It was merely an innocent question but it turned into a five minute screaming match, which ended when Sara dragged Joanna out of the study while Laurel glared at Dinah.

“What?! She kept being invasive and wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“You could’ve ignored her-‘

“Or perhaps you could tell your  _** best  ** _ friend to back off.” the brunette snarled, frowning when Laurel started to laugh. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh this is precious, so fucking precious,” Laurel wheezed as she sat up and continued to glare at Dinah. “You’re jealous!”

“I am not!”

“You so are. That explains why you were acting funny at the hospital, you were jealous.” The cruel smile on Laurel’s face softened the moment she saw tears glistening in Dinah’s eyes. She eased herself up onto her feet and pulled the woman into her arms. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Dinah squeezed her eyes shut and hid her face in the crook of Laurel’s neck. She held on tightly, fingers curling around soft blonde hair. “I’m sorry... For everything. I’m sorry for hurting you over and over again. I’m sorry for abandoning you and letting you get attacked. I’m sorry-‘

Dinah’s words were cut off by a soft, chaste kiss to the corner of her lips. Her eyes opened immediately, widening when she saw the vulnerability gleaming in Laurel’s eyes. “We need to clear the air and let go of our past. If we continue to let the hurt fester, we’ll only end up blowing up at each other... But for now can we just sit in silence?” Laurel asked softly, before smiling as Dinah sat down beside her.

Could this be the beginning of something new?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m hoping this chapter isn’t too messy... If so I’ll just do some cleaning up on it!
> 
> Thanks for reading the latest chapter 🙂


	5. Heart To Heart.

Until Laurel’s attackers could be found, the Lance-Queen family were kept under surveillance at the manor. That meant only essential personnel could come and go as they pleased while everyone else had to stay within the perimeter of the property. When Nyssa heard about the news, she sent a team of her best trained officers to act as guards as well as sending a small team out to protect William. Joanna acted as the messenger between Laurel and William’s court-appointed social worker.

“She’s insisting on using your attack to explain why William shouldn’t be put into your care,” Joanna exclaimed. She slid a stack of papers over to Laurel, who just hummed absentmindedly and picked them up, eyes scanning for any inconsistencies. “I’m going to file an injunction and hope it can prevent her from using it. We’ll have William here soon, Laurel.”

The blonde continued to hum before reaching out to grab her glasses and slip them on. “Thanks for doing this especially at short notice,” she replied softly, grabbing the cold cup of coffee Dinah had made her an hour ago and taking a small sip. “Also I apologise for how Dinah behaved the other day, she shouldn’t have gone off like that.”

“I take it she doesn’t like me?”

“I don’t know? You’d have to ask her that yourself,” Laurel wasn’t sure how to reply so she kept all options diplomatic. “So are you able to wrangle a visit? I haven’t seen William since we got here and I know Connor is starting to ask why his big brother isn’t around.” 

The blonde knew it was wrong to use her child as a bargaining chip, but she was starting to miss her other little boy. Somedays she ended up cursing Oliver for not allowing her to legally adopt William... She may have not given birth to him but he still was her son.

“You’ve been granted visitation rights, I was about to mention that.” Joanna ran her fingers through the files she had tucked in her arms, pulled out an envelope and pushed it towards Laurel. “Now I’m going into Central City to see a few old friends and make contact with William’s social worker. Is there anything you want picked up?”

“Yeah pick me up some coffee? You know which one, and also some snacks for Connor,” Laurel said as she read through the documents and signed along the dotted line before handing them back to Joanna. “You can hand these back to Madame Horrible when you see her.”

Joanna just chuckled at the blonde’s antics and nodded. “I’ll do that and try to make sure you stay alive.” She sassed, leaving Laurel to mock glare at her retreating form.

* * *

Watching Laurel interact with her children left a warmth inside Dinah, she always knew the blonde, even when they were kids, would become a great mother. Seeing the pure, unadulterated joy on her face whenever Connor or Mia were in her presence only solidified her claims.

The young mother was currently planning a small party for Mia’s 1/2 birthday aka six month milestone. There were different options for a smash cake and cupcakes for the older guests.

“I should’ve just hired a planner. Mommy should’ve hired a planner eh, Mia?” Laurel cooed softly to her daughter, who gurgled happily while being rocked back and forth in her baby swing. “We could always go for a Disney Princesses theme.”

The sudden knock at the door caused Laurel look up, eyes brightening at the steaming cup of coffee that was placed in front of her. “Thanks Dinah, you didn’t have to make me a coffee,” She said with a smile before gesturing for the woman to take a seat in the chair opposite her. “I never got to ask how you’re adjusting to staying here in the manor. If you need anything, just let me know.”

Dinah sipped on her own cup of coffee, taking a few seconds to look down at Mia and smile. “I gotta admit, my room beats the crappy apartment I’ve got downtown.” She placed her coffee on the desk and reached down to gently tickle the baby girl under her chin. “But I must say something... You’re a great mother, Laurel. These children are blessed to have a strong and independent woman as their mother.”

Biting back a watery laugh, Laurel leaned forward and grabbed onto Dinah’s hands, squeezing them softly. She knew right now would be the greatest time to clear the air and find out whether they could become friends once more. “Thanks D. I was wondering if we could have that conversation that we’ve been meaning to have?”

Hearing Laurel call her by her old nickname made Dinah feel warm and fuzzy. “Sure, where do you want me to start?” When Laurel requested from the beginning, Dinah launched into the same explanation she’d given Sara. She watched as the blonde’s usually bright green eyes darkened with anger, anger that was reserved for Dinah’s father. By the time she finished speaking, tears were streaming down both women’s faces.

“Oh Dinah, I wish I had known... I’m so sorry you were put through that situation,” Laurel said as she shifted in her seat. “If you’re up for the offer, we could start spending more time with each other and gradually build a friendship once more?”

“Why are you being so forgiving? You were totally ready to fire me a month ago.”

A guilty look flickered over Laurel’s face as she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “I was acting on self-preservation. My husband had just died and my life was knocked upside down, and seeing you after all these years made me feel angry. I’ve never been good with my anger and I’ve come to realise that perhaps I need to seek out professional help.”

“I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, I was-‘

“It’s fine Dinah, I wasn’t exactly friendly towards you and you have every right to call me out on my behaviour,” Laurel moved away from her desk and knelt down to unstrap Mia from her baby swing and cradled the six month old against her chest. “But I am being honest about becoming friends again, or at least more cordial with each other. Now Dinah it’s about time you got to know more about your namesake.” And without hesitating, Laurel placed a squirming Mia into Dinah’s arms. “She’s got your name as her middle name.”

Genuine astonishment and happiness bloomed over Dinah’s face as she stared into Mia’s bright blue eyes and smiled at the baby girl. “Hello munchkin! You’re so adorable, oh yes you are.” She cooed before lifting Mia into the air and lightly bouncing her around.

Laurel’s heart swelled at the sight before her. She went back to her seat and sat down before grabbing her phone and silently took photos. There would’ve been a video if Dinah hadn’t stared at her with a raised brow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I’d add a small dose of tooth rotting fluff! Honestly this chapter was more easier to write than the others.


End file.
